Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-10-20
INEXCUsABLE NEGLIGENCE.

The arrival of other ships in New York
from eholera-infected Mediterranean ports
and their admission to the upper harbor
without being put in quarantine, illustrates
the astonishing carelessness of the health
authorities OF that city. There is no other
nation that has permitted such Neglect of
ordinary sanitary precautions. italy closed
her ports absolutely four years ago against
all points of infection Peru did the same,
and both escaped contamination. Italy by
relaxation was visited by the cholera
Peru etiectually excluded the plague
though it ravaged Chile, and is still pre-
vailing there. 1t does seem that in the
mad rush of business speculation the peo-
pie OF New York have become blind to the
peril that impends over them. Let cholera
once gain foolhold in the great metropo-
lis, and the loss TO business will not he
possible to be asccrtained except by calcu-
I2tionS extending up into the tens of mill
Ions. That few French and Italian shin
owners and alien merchants may prosecute
their traflicin goods and transportation, the
whole country, it seems, must be EXPOSED
10 the'terrible hazard of a cholera vista
ton. 1t is necessary that the National
authorities should be moved to interpose
IN this matter. The whole country is in
ferested. The passengers from the cholera
ships are speedily scattered throughout the
several States, and when cholera deyelops
among them, it may be expected to break
out con'emporaneously in the. West, the
South, and upon the Pacific coast. No I'M
due alarm should be excited, but the facts
should he stated, that the public may be
warned of the inevitable consequences of
neglect 1t was neglect of the grosser
order, to fail to destroy utterly the baggage
OF the passengers Of the Alesia, instead of
fumigating it and then permitting it to be
taken into the country. The New York
Herald says:
SIT Ut John Woodworth, who in 1879 was the
supervising sur! con of the United States MsrIne
do> llfnl Service, in his official reroTt on Tho
ohSlh oi the enc era epidemic in this coutItrv
traced III gu break OF the disease in Minuas',s
10 mp 'F1atl II III the baggage Of Swedish immi.
gra..t' ian -ing az New Ilrk. His report reads
When the trunks or chests that had no, -,
son.hso SINCE trey we've packed at Bergen a
por' OF lhe b4!ue sea- at which cholera had
bee prs mt il 1872 and 1873. were oT,e,,oj y,
Nilinar, Mimi then and there was the na,sn,
o. Christun Oieson infected with cholers nc
Ina'eriai al vs. lch had b en- trans aorted IL. tbo
fabr!'s OF which the articles of clothinp -
preps ed. Thisi. no. the only proof thai coniS
be add1ced I" how the great danger of sIlo,r-
1ns haSe' ge OF passengers exp sed e. the rlagne
70 be lah1ed IN any part OF the country.
DR.. Z, o. Shakespeare, of Philadelphia,
who has been examining the germs Of the
disease from the patients at Swinburne
Island Hospital, finds that they deyelop
the same hacilli observed in the victims Of
the cholera epidemic of 1885 in Spain and
Italy. DR.. Shakespeare was sent to Furope
BY the Government to study cholera, and
there is no reason to question his conclu-
siols. These facts were all well known to
the health officers Of New York, yet with
the positive knowledge that the germs of
disease have been brought into quarantine,
and remain actively vital, they have per-
mitted passengers to take their effects into
various parts Of the country. In need not,